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Original poster

Matt Hancock's statement on returning to work

138 replies

JS87 · 19/08/2020 14:23

So I've just read that Matt Hancock has said that there is no excuse not to return to work as there is little evidence of transmission at work and transmission is happening in homes. Given that most of the country has been furloughed/ is working from home then obviously transmission is likely to be happening at home rather than the work place. In workplaces that have stayed open people have either been using PPE (NHS) or social distancing or there have been large outbreaks (e.g. meat processing plants). Given there have been relatively few offices open with everyone crammed back in as normal then I can't understand why he thinks there is evidence that there would be no transmission in these situations. Does he not use his brain?

OP posts:
RubyMuseday · 19/08/2020 17:01

@WhyNotMe40

Oh look! Fantastic! As the "work from home if you can" policy has been so successful, that not many people are catching it at work - let's scrap that policy as obviously people don't catch it at work!

Just the sort of stupid things ministers say, like Give as education secretary saying that all schools must be above average....

Exactly this.

I didn’t get wet in the rain today, so I’ll leave the umbrella at home tomorrow.

countryroses · 19/08/2020 17:02

Great, so I think that means - according to English government - that the virus sees an office building and thinks, "will not infect there, I will go and find some homes" Hmm

I have stopped reading the guidelines from here as it's such nonsense. Am reading Jacinda Ardern and Angela Merkel, because what they are saying is clear and accurate - despite hot political opposition.

Great, that also means I think that all doctors will be seeing all NHS and private patients again, all dentists too, all without masks - since that is the safe way to do it in schools and offices.

WWRU · 19/08/2020 17:04

I can't go back yet because there's no room. If I did there would be less than 2m distancing.

I thought the majority view on MN was that school staff should do precisely the opposite of this (go back even though there will be less than 2m distancing)... because children needed to be back at school...because parents needed to be able to work!

So now school staff are the only ones unable to say they can't go back, and it's not for any of the reasons we've been told because people don't want to go to their covid secure workplaces.

SaltyAndFresh · 19/08/2020 17:06

I would love to know what they will be doing too!! I can see why they can't go into schools really, especially primary as they would be going between bubbles to do lesson observations I suppose!

Anyone else would be made redundant in this situation.

SaltyAndFresh · 19/08/2020 17:07

@QueenCT

I can't go back yet because there's no room. If I did there would be less than 2m distancing. We also can't have the AC on and no windows so it's roasting
Um schools are showing you that you can do all of this.
TolstoyAteMyHamster · 19/08/2020 17:09

I caught it in the office in March. I have every reason to think I did - colleague came back from a ski trip just outside the zone in Italy that was locked down at the time. He got it (diagnosed with a test at the time when tests were being done). A week later, 40% of the team came down with something that had all the symptoms of Covid. None of us could get a test at that point but one of us passed it on to his elderly mother who he lives with who tested positive on admission to hospital, and two of us have since had positive antibody tests. So chances seem very high that that is what happened. This is an office with ample space and decent ventilation but where inevitably we were in close proximity at times.

TorysSuckRevokeArticle50 · 19/08/2020 17:10

The thing is for those businesses where working from home is a viable model that's proven successful it doesn't really matter what Matt Hancock says.

The company I work for has found that 70% of roles are as productive at home as in the office, that by making that WFH model permanent they can save millions a year globally on office space/associated costs and that's including the additional software and equipment costs they will incur to improve the WFH model and make sure that people have office furniture, electric/internet costs covered.

They haven't as yet made contract changes but the CEO has made clear what the direction is that we're heading in and we are now seeing lots of surveys and training/coaching sessions/tools to support mental wellbeing at home.

We will have hubs globally where we can book office space for collaborative working but won't have regular office working again, I don't think I'll be in an office even once a month let alone 5 days a week.

lljkk · 19/08/2020 17:10

I am not sure if anywhere has packed public transport right now. I'm going to start a thread to ask...

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 19/08/2020 17:12

@threecats333

The reason that France has introduced masks in offices is that the greatest place in France for transmission is now the office but over 75% are back in the office compared to less than 40% here. Let the schools go back and let everybody who can work from home continue do so to keep people off public transport and keep transmission low. Matt Hancock should join Gavin Williamson in exile.
Don’t the school staff matter?
Appuskidu · 19/08/2020 17:12

I can't go back yet because there's no room. If I did there would be less than 2m distancing

But that situation is fine for schools?

RiaRoth · 19/08/2020 17:14

@QueenCT

I can't go back yet because there's no room. If I did there would be less than 2m distancing. We also can't have the AC on and no windows so it's roasting
Exactly the same situation BUT have to go back as a teacher
WhyNotMe40 · 19/08/2020 17:15

Ah come on. If it's perfectly safe for me to be in a small unventilated room, unmasked, with 30+ teenagers (also without masks) for an hour at a time, 5 times a day - surely it's perfectly safe for office workers as well?! Especially as you probably won't have close contact with more than 200 colleagues a week?

jewel1968 · 19/08/2020 17:15

@TorysSuckRevokeArticle50 I suspect lots of companies will go the same way. Despite my personal preference for office work I have always recognised that those in my team that worked from home were often the most productive. I think I like office work so I can chat which probably means that I am less productive 😊.

Not so good for people especially young people go flat-sharing.

eurochick · 19/08/2020 17:17

But everyone follows the direction to get back to work of course transport will become busyConfused

ekidmxcl · 19/08/2020 17:17

There are plenty of excuses not to return to work.

He can’t make people return if their employer is happy with them working at home.

QueenCT · 19/08/2020 17:18

I don't work as a teacher. Personally no, I don't think it's great for teachers to go back but then I don't have DC so I probably can't comment!

However I'm extremely vulnerable and my boss has said I am not to go back in as there is no room so I'm not pushing the point! I'm sorry for teachers that have to go back but that's another situation... it would be daft of me to say well teachers have to go back so I should when I can WFH perfectly well

itsgettingweird · 19/08/2020 17:18

I'm in agreement that those who can WFH should continue to do so.

I know they want rail fares and revenue from coffee and sandwiches etc.

But totally agree when we 2-3000 people returning to some schools in a few weeks we need to do this slowly.

We opened everything else out slowly.

QueenCT · 19/08/2020 17:19

The other issue is because of the layout, if someone is unwell (sore throat/cold etc) but working, I usually sit in a hallway outside the office but with the new layout I can't do that so that also causes an issue
My boss is perfectly happy and sent me home before lockdown even happened as he didn't want me in the office at any risk

itsgettingweird · 19/08/2020 17:20

Oh and bye I've been someone saying how shocking it is that the government think schools have magical walls.

But I also don't think whilst throwing teachers under the bus it's actually sensible to Chuck a few more people under with them.

The risk for exponential rise by doing too much too soon and all at once isn't worth it.

WhyNotMe40 · 19/08/2020 17:24

I was being sarcastic. I don't think anyone should be made to go back to the office if they can't work from home, just so Pret can make more profit

Chezacheza · 19/08/2020 17:32

I think we have to put things in perspective though.

There are only 56 people on ventilators In England and 599 people in hospital due to the virus out of 55 million people.

People need to be cautious but go back to work

QueenCT · 19/08/2020 17:34

@Chezacheza true but if WFH is ok then..
me going back to work does nothing to support the economy Grin so it makes no difference at all

Chezacheza · 19/08/2020 17:47

For us it definitely wasn’t about the local sandwich shop Grin

We are sales driven and at home our team are just not as able to reach the daily targets like they are when we’re all in. We have two staff members who can absolutely work from home ( not sales) but it caused a bit of resentment. Working from home saves a lot of money. This was the bug bear in our office, they felt it equaled to a pay rise. I kid you not. Members of the sales team made points of not being able to discuss cases wit the two working from home properly or would be bombarding them with calls. We had both departments complaining about each other. It was just arse ache.

Also a lot of experience and knowledge is floated above the desks whilst they are working and taking. We really needed them back

QueenCT · 19/08/2020 17:53

Yeah makes sense. I am commission based but on back to back calls so we talk v little at work! 150 calls a day isn't unusual

Barbie222 · 19/08/2020 17:58

Hmmm, that wasn't what the PHE surveillance reports said: more outbreaks in offices week on week, as more people went back to the office. Almost as many as schools, in fact. But who needs the PHE and all their silly data?

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